Justice Department Moves to Challenge Texas Abortion Ban

Just days after the Supreme Court refused to block a Texas abortion statute that bans the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Justice Department is exploring “all options” to challenge the restrictive abortion law and vowed to provide support to abortion clinics that are “under attack” in the state and to protect those seeking and providing reproductive health services, reports the Washington Post. Garland said the Justice Department has reached out to U.S. attorneys’ offices and FBI field offices in Texas and across the country to “discuss our enforcement authorities.”

While the most straightforward approach would be to assist abortion providers in court, that’s not a possibility as no lawsuits have been filed with abortion clinics in full compliance with the law. Republican officials in at least seven states across the country have suggested that they may change their states’ laws to mirror the legislation in Texas. And abortion activists expect more copycat bills to follow, as state legislatures this year have already enacted dozens of abortion restrictions. President Joe Biden has denounced the Texas law as “almost un-American” and said it creates a “vigilante system” under which private citizens are empowered to police the ban. The Texas law allows anyone to file a lawsuit against any person who has aided someone in obtaining an abortion, with the potential for a $10,000 payoff.